Large Firm

Norton Rose and Chadbourne complete merger

Norton Rose Fulbright and Chadbourne & Parke have completed their merger, creating a law firm with about 4,000 lawyers in 59 offices located in 33 countries. According to the merger announcement on Friday, the firm will have about 1,000 lawyers in its U.S. practice, including more than 300 in New…

Jun 30, 2017 9:19 AM CDT

How prepared are law firms for cyber breaches? And how often are firms being attacked?

On the same day that a massive ransomware attack hit DLA Piper, cybersecurity startup firm LogicForce released a chilling report that found that law firms are still woefully unprepared for all sorts of cyber threats.

Jun 29, 2017 8:41 AM CDT

DLA Piper works with FBI as it grapples with malware attack, says client data appears unaffected

DLA Piper is working with forensic experts and law enforcement agencies following a widespread malware attack on Tuesday that forced the law firm to shut down its computer systems as a precautionary measure.

Jun 28, 2017 4:11 PM CDT

Steptoe accused of pay bias in class action by female contract lawyer promoted to associate

Updated: A contract lawyer who was promoted to associate at Steptoe & Johnson claims in a pay-bias lawsuit that she made less money than male associates with similar experience. The proposed class action by lawyer Ji-In Houck says she is aware of other female attorneys at the firm who were…

Jun 28, 2017 11:02 AM CDT

Former Dentons associate accused in extortion plot involving threat to leak documents to legal blog

A former Dentons litigation associate in Los Angeles has been charged with extortion for allegedly threatening to leak sensitive law firm documents to the blog Above the Law unless his demands were met. Former associate Michael Potere, 32, is accused of demanding that the law firm pay him $210,000 and…

Jun 28, 2017 9:47 AM CDT

Suit claims Duane Morris blew estimate of expected case costs, highlighting projection difficulties

A former client’s suit claiming Duane Morris misrepresented the expected costs of representation highlights the problems that can arise as a result of cost projections. The suit by Edward Zaloga, a doctor from Moosic, Pennsylvania, claims the firm drafted a litigation budget estimating costs of $255,750 to handle a Section…

Jun 28, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

DLA Piper hit by ‘major cyber attack’ amid larger hack spreading to US

DLA Piper is dealing with a ransomware attack on Tuesday that is apparently affecting offices in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

Legal Week says the firm was “hit by a major cyber attack.” Lawyers who spoke with the publication said emails and phone systems were affected, and computers were shut down as a precaution.

Jun 27, 2017 12:27 PM CDT

Marc Kasowitz’s law firm gets a ‘Trump bump’ in prestige rankings

The law firm founded by President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, has broken into the top 100 in Vault’s prestige rankings. Kasowitz Benson Torres got a “Trump bump” with its No. 99 ranking, the New York Times DealBook blog reports. The rankings are based on a survey of 18,000…

Jun 23, 2017 12:10 PM CDT

Sedgwick confirms some staff layoffs after more partner departures

Sedgwick has laid off some staffers after at least eight partners left the firm to join other BigLaw rivals in the last few weeks. The latest partner losses follow the departures of 40 Sedgwick lawyers in Dallas and New Jersey, including 15 partners, at the start of the year, the…

Jun 21, 2017 9:30 AM CDT

High-profile law firms reportedly reject overtures to represent Trump in Russia probe

High-profile lawyers are reportedly rebuffing overtures to represent President Donald Trump and to serve in his administration.

Jun 21, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Pence hires BigLaw lawyer in Russia probe with personal Comey connection

Vice President Mike Pence has hired McGuireWoods chairman Richard Cullen to represent him in the congressional and special counsel’s investigations into Russian influence. Cullen has connections to fired FBI director James Comey, a lawyer who once worked at McGuireWoods, report the New York Times, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.)…

Jun 16, 2017 8:37 AM CDT

Hogan Lovells combining with Boston-based Collora

Hogan Lovells will enter the Boston market by combining with Collora, a litigation boutique, in a move that’s expected to be effective Sept. 1. Collora focuses on investigations and litigation, and the firm has worked with Hogan Lovells since the 1990s, the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog reports. Collora, which…

Jun 15, 2017 10:12 AM CDT

Norton Rose ‘working through the technicalities’ of a merger with Chadbourne

Norton Rose Fulbright has announced it is “working through the technicalities” of a planned merger with Chadbourne & Parke. The announcement came after the Lawyer reported the merger had stalled because of client conflicts, Bloomberg Big Law Business reports. It also came the same day that a New York federal…

Jun 14, 2017 4:23 PM CDT

Law firms test ‘Mansfield rule’ to promote more women and minorities into leadership roles

Thirty large law firms have pledged to test a new “Mansfield rule” that requires 30 percent of its leadership candidates to be minorities and women. The rule is named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States, report the Am Law Daily (sub. req.)…

Jun 12, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Norton Rose Fulbright confirms merger talks with Australian law firm Henry Davis York

Norton Rose Fulbright and Australian law firm Henry Davis York have issued a statement confirming they are in merger talks. Partners will vote on the merger this summer, Legal Week reports. “Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright and leading Australian law firm Henry Davis York are exploring a potential combination…

Jun 8, 2017 9:28 AM CDT